Kisaragi's Long-Strange Collection Notes

Before even looking at the sky, Chen Meimei knew that tonight's moon would be a rainbow moon, without even needing to look at the sky.

The red text, like a barrage of bullet comments, filled his field of vision.

【Chen Meimei, I've only been gone for a day, and another weirdo has appeared in the house!】

What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go home!

Is there still a place for me in this family? I need to go and check!

If I'm not satisfied, you have to get rid of it!

[That Xiaoshuang, she really doesn't care about anything. This family will fall apart sooner or later without me!]

"Okay, okay, I'm going back now. Don't repeat yourself so many times, my eyes are getting tired."

Unable to bear the noise any longer, Chen Meimei immediately retreated after finishing her communication with Yue Junyang.

I returned to my building and climbed to the 18th floor.

As soon as she stepped out of the stairwell, Chen Meimei stopped in her tracks.

In the hallway, a figure stood in the shadows.

Judging from his body shape, he should be a man wearing a suit.

He remained motionless in the pitch-black environment.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Weird?" Chen Meimei wasn't afraid at all and walked straight over.

After his day at school, he already knew what [Immortality] 9 meant. Among the known supernatural beings, none could kill him.

"Hehe, hehehe, interesting, really interesting, I can smell the little cutie's scent." The man also walked towards Chen Meimei.

As the distance between the two changes, the light and shadow also change.

The man's form also emerged from the darkness.

His orange-red curly hair resembled withered grass, his face was painted with oil paint, and asymmetrical blue teardrops hung on his plaster-like face. His eyes were like two dark slits.

The scarlet suit was wrinkled and covered in unidentified stains, but the white gloves on his hands were spotless.

With his "hehe" laughter, the gaping wound around his mouth almost reached his ears.

"Clown!" Chen Meimei exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" The clown was surprised; most people would be frightened and back away upon seeing him.

"Joker, did you come here specifically to see me?"

"It wasn't originally like that."

"Now that's possible! Come on, let's start playing the game!" Chen Meimei said excitedly.

A look of surprise flashed across the clown's face, but he immediately reverted to his manic state.

"Alright, alright, let's begin."

The clown pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket and snapped his fingers.

A set of casino-style tables and chairs immediately appeared in the hallway.

Without waiting for the clown's invitation, Chen Meimei sat down herself: "How do we play?"

"Here are 14 cards." The clown took out about a quarter of a deck of cards.

"These 14 cards, from smallest to largest, are 1-10, J, Q, K, and a Joker card."

The Joker is the highest card, followed by the King, and the 1 is the lowest.

The Joker card beats all other cards except the lowest card, 1.

We'll each draw a card and see whose has the higher score. Do we need to verify the cards?

"No need to check the cards, let's start quickly, even I, the God of Gamblers, can't wait," Chen Meimei urged.

"You're the guest, you go first." The clown gave up the first turn.

There are 14 cards facing away on the table.

Without thinking, Chen Meimei pressed the card closest to her.

He dragged the cards across the table to his front, then placed them in the middle with both hands and began to demonstrate "rubbing the cards".

The clown has never seen a contestant like Chen Meimei before.

"I must remind you that the game has begun, and there will be rewards and punishments when it ends."

Chen Meimei nodded: "Of course. You deal the cards first, I know how to shuffle and change the cards."

The clown knew exactly what cards Chen Meimei had, but he couldn't quite figure out how she played.

"I have 10 points, it's your turn." The Joker reveals his cards.

"The one who reveals their cards first is bound to lose. You don't even understand this basic principle? You're the worst Joker I've ever seen."

As Chen Meimei spoke, she turned over the cards that he had crumpled up.

It's 7 o'clock.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the hallway became a little quiet.

You lost.

"No, I haven't lost. As long as I haven't stopped, the outcome is still uncertain. Let's continue. This time, I'll double down." Chen Meimei looked completely unconcerned.

"Okay, but you need to accept this punishment first."

"Come on." Chen Meimei didn't even ask what the punishment was.

Blood was seeping from Chen Meimei's shoes; one of his left toes was broken.

The second game begins.

The cards on the table were rearranged.

This time it's the Joker's turn to draw first.

The Joker's hands moved with lightning speed; his arm swung out, leaving afterimages, and took away a card.

Chen Meimei slowly picked out her cards for this round, a card that was clearly crumpled and wrinkled.

Joker: "You should know very well that this is the 7 you drew last time."

Chen Meimei shrugged: "That's really good news, isn't it? It can also control the six cards from 1 to 6."

The Joker reveals his hand: a King.

Chen Meimei lost all four remaining toes on her left foot.

He didn't ask why, after doubling, there were four toes instead of two.

"It hurts a little, keep going, I'll double it again."

The Joker has seen many crazy people; he himself is an expert in the field of madness. But this is the first time he has ever seen a madman like Chen Meimei.

The Joker wins the third round.

An intestine appeared on the table.

In the fourth round, the Joker won.

A kidney appeared on the table.

By the fifth and sixth rounds, the table was covered in blood.

The seventh inning begins.

"All you have left is your heart," the clown reminded him.

Chen Meimei's hands and head remained intact, which was to allow him to continue playing the game.

The two players choose their cards and reveal them.

Clown K, Chen Meimei 5 o'clock.

A fresh heart appeared on the table, still warm and beating.

Upon seeing the heart, the clown's tense heart finally relaxed: "I must admit, this is one of the few games that I've felt truly excited about. Thank you for participating."

The clown slowly rose, preparing to end the game.

Chen Meimei looked up at him and said, "Continue, double it again."

The clown's pupils suddenly contracted.

His heart is gone, and he's still not dead?

The clown's mind raced: Is this a special [mysterious] ability, or a special kind of [immortality]?

The eighth inning, the ninth inning... the nineteenth inning, the twentieth inning.

No matter how much Chen Meimei increases the punishment, it will always be a heart.

The heart represents life; even double the life is still life.

But for the Joker, this game had reached a point where he couldn't afford to lose.

"You're the most capable player I've ever seen, but continuing like this seems to have lost its meaning." The Joker was considering ending the game.

At this moment, a small mountain of internal organs had piled up on the table; those were all Chen Meimei's punishments.

The tabletop was now the color of blood, and all 14 cards were soaked in blood, the blood on the backs of the cards glaringly obvious.

Even the fingers on which the two players selected their cards were covered in blood.

Chen Meimei shook her head.

"Mr. Clown, you should understand one thing: games need to be fair. You decided on the gameplay and rules, provided the props and facilities, and set the punishments and rewards, so the rest should be decided by me."

"What do you mean by 'the rest'?"

"It's very simple. You decide whether the game starts, and I decide whether the game ends."

The clown fell silent.

Chen Meimei's statement is fair, and it's clear that the strength he demonstrated guarantees the fairness he desires.

The game continues.

33nd inning.

Chen Meimei drew a K.

He immediately revealed his King.

"Mr. Clown, if you can get the Joker card, you win this round, and I can agree to end the game here."

The Joker's hand, which was holding the cards, trembled slightly.

He can turn any hand he wants into whatever he desires.

That's right, the one who truly possesses the ability to change cards isn't the God of Gamblers, but the Joker.

For the Joker, summoning the Joker card to win the game and end it is undoubtedly the most advantageous move.

But the Joker hesitated.

"Victory is within reach, Mr. Clown, what are you hesitating for?"

From the very first round until now, although you've won, you've never used the Joker card to win. Why are you so resistant to the Joker card? What... are you afraid of?

The clown lowered his hand holding the cards and slumped into his chair.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face, which was covered in paint.

"Your name?"

"Chen Meimei, I live in 1803."

"Yes, I live in 1805."

Chen Meimei didn't respond to her neighbor's words.

The clown rummaged through his stained suit, his hands adding more blood to the fabric.

He took out a pack of cigarettes and glanced at Chen Meimei.

Chen Meimei shook her head: "I don't smoke."

The clown lit one up and began puffing away.

"Yeah, what's there to be afraid of? I'm just a clown in life, not the clown card in this deck of cards."

I walk on the street, arming myself with madness, appearing fearsome to everyone, but in reality, I am a loser excluded from mainstream social consciousness.

In this hand, I am not the Joker; I am the lowest, bottom-ranked 1.

I've played countless games with people—the powerful, gaming masters, psychologists—and all I've ever done is use this 1 to deliver a fatal blow when the opponent thinks they've got the Joker card and have victory in their grasp.

What I will do is, as a nobody, bring down those in supreme power.

Conversely, if I were to be in power, to stand in or maintain the highest position, I know very well that I am not capable of that.

After all, destruction is always easier than creation.

I don't want to get the Joker card, and I can't get the Joker card.

So, I lost...

"Fine, I concede this round."

Chen Meimei's sudden interruption and admission of defeat stunned the clown.

He only came to his senses when the cigarette burned his finger: "Why?"

Chen Meimei snapped her fingers: "I declare the game over."

The tables and chairs did not disappear.

"Why? Are you pitying me?" the clown asked again.

Instead of answering, Chen Meimei asked, "Clown, you owe me one or dozens of lives. Would you... be willing to work for me?"

The clown stared intently into Chen Meimei's eyes: "What do you want from me?"

"You're already at the very bottom, point 1. No matter what my intentions are, what do you have to lose?"

The clown tossed his cigarette butt aside: "Okay, feel free to knock on my door if you need anything."

The tables and chairs disappeared.

The two were standing very close to room 1803 in the middle. Chen Meimei appeared calm and collected on the surface, but in reality, her internal organs had been emptied multiple times, and she was in terrible condition.

To avoid irritating his recovering internal organs by taking out his keys from his pocket, he simply reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in, have a seat?"

The clown assumed Chen Meimei had something to arrange for him, so he didn't refuse: "Is your place convenient?"

"It's very convenient; I live alone."

As soon as Chen Meimei finished speaking, the door to room 1803 opened from the inside.

The exquisite white porcelain body of the blue and white porcelain appears.

"weird!"

The clown took a big step back and pulled out his weapon—playing cards.

Chen Meimei ignored the clown's fuss and walked past Qinghua, saying, "This is 1805's neighbor, he's coming to visit, so prepare a pair of slippers for him."

Qinghua said "Oh" and opened the shoe cabinet to start looking for shoes.

clown:......

You really live alone, huh? And what kind of being was I playing a game with just now?